Capital Campaign Successful

The 2016-18 capital campaign is now officially over as of February 18, 2018 – the actual date of the Society’s 120th anniversary. As chair of the campaign I want to thank everyone who made a donation and helped us raise over $402,000. This money is invested in our Sherman-Haughton Fund and will continue to help augment the society’s financial needs for the next 100 years.

I, and committee members Jane Lindsey and Sandy Fryer, also want to thank everyone who helped us during the campaign. Lois Elling who designed special graphics for the campaign, Shannon Reese who helped with writing and editing blog posts, and Stewart Blandon who promoted the campaign in our eNews. Kathie Jones kept us up to date with monthly financial reports. Linda Okazaki was a tremendously helpful sounding board, and the Board of Directors who reviewed and acted on our ideas.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL YOU DID & FOR YOUR GENEROSITY.

Chris Pattillo, CGS Capital Campaign Chair

Copyright © 2018 by California Genealogical Society

Capital Campaign: Help Us Finish Strong

by Chris Pattillo, Capital Campaign Chair

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Today our Sherman-Haughton fund has $384,390 more than it did before the campaign began. Wouldn't it be great if we could reach $400,000 by the time our Capital Campaign ends on February 1st?

The official kickoff of the first ever California Genealogical Society (CGS) Capital Campaign was February 2017, nearly a year ago. The Campaign Committee (myself, Jane Lindsey & Sandy Fryer) reached out to our membership as well as to individuals and philanthropists who have an interest in preserving family history. Our goal was to raise $1.2 million in honor of the 120th anniversary of the society. We did not succeed in reaching this lofty goal but have succeeded in raising an incredible $384,390. This is an amazing number for an all-volunteer organization to raise!

Where does the money go?
Our investment committee has managed our funds prudently, so for the past ten years our portfolio has grown by an average of 9.4% a year. These funds provide financial security for our society, and provide us with the ability to offer more services to our membership.

Why am I sending you another Capital Campaign Appeal?
As you may know, revenue generated from membership fees, seminars, classes, and research trips does not cover our annual expenses. Every year we rely on our members’ generous donations in response to the Annual Appeal and prudent withdrawals from the Sherman-Haughton Fund to supplement the budget shortfall. Our expenses, particularly the rent, continue to increase every year. Have you contributed yet?

Long-term goals and financial stability go hand-in-hand
The Board and Campaign Committee want CGS to continue to be a leader in family history. We want to offer value to our members by providing nationally known speakers and state-of-the-art educational programs for beginning to advanced researchers. We want to do more to enable our long-distance members to have better access to the society by offering participatory webinars and by digitizing our records and making them available online to members.

Here are 2 easy ways to make a donation:

Mail or drop off a check at the library:

2201 Broadway LL2, Oakland, CA 94612-3031

Write checks to: CGS – Capital Campaign

or

DONATE on our website, CaliforniaAncestors.org

Why I believe in this campaign
Family has always been important to me—it’s my anchor and enabler. CGS feels like an extension of my family. I value how being part of the society has helped me with my research—every visit to the society I learn something new from another member. I hope you share this feeling and will support CGS financially today with a donation to the Capital Campaign and always through donations in response to the Annual Appeal. The money donated to the Capital Campaign goes directly to the Sherman-Haughton fund.

Thank you.

Copyright © 2018 by California Genealogical Society

Wordless Wednesday: California Genealogical Society Volunteers' Holiday Open House

 

Copyright © 2017 by California Genealogical Society

Do You Dream of Genie?

by Kathleen Beitiks

It’s almost time for our intrepid California Genealogical Society (CGS) President, Linda Okazaki, to don her shiny gold lame’ turban and present the coveted “Genie Awards” to a special group of volunteers who “make magic happen” at CGS!

CGS members are invited to attend the annual awards presentation and Fall Membership meeting on Saturday, October 14th, noon, in the library, 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland, CA. 

Our mystical master of ceremonies will present golden “magic lamps” to members who have been singled out for their dedication to CGS and its mission to help people trace and compile their family histories.

In addition to updates about CGS, members also will hear some tall tales about former board member and current Capital Campaign Chair Chris Pattillo’s 2.5 months long, summer genealogy road trip. 

While on this amazing journey, Chris found one small clue that enabled her to break down her tallest brick wall – one she’d been trying to topple for over 15 years!  Please register today for this wonderful talk.

Bring a bag lunch (drinks and dessert will be provided), mingle with old and new friends, and help us celebrate the contributions of our volunteers. Questions? Please contact Kathleen Beitiks.  We can't wait to see you!

Copyright © 2017 by California Genealogical Society

Capital Campaign – Starting Strong

by Chris Pattillo, Chair, Jane Lindsey and Sandy Fryer

As we write this article we are thrilled to announce that we have met our initial goal to raise $350,000 during the early phase of the capital campaign. This addition to our fund alone will generate over $30,000 of income per year. Money that will help cover the shortfall in annual operating expenses of the California Genealogy Society (CGS) when needed. 

So far, the response to the campaign has been gratifying. Over 112 individuals have made contributions to the campaign as of August 31st. The amount of the average donation is $2600 and the median donation is $100. Individual contributions have ranged from one figure amounts to six figure amounts. 

There are myriad reasons why our members and non-members have chosen to support CGS during this capital campaign. One non-member made a $25,000 donation because she appreciated the help she received researching her family history.  

How you have given
Looking at the donations by categories we have 5 donors who have given $10,000 or more, 4 individuals made donations in the $5000 to $9999 range, 8 gave $1000 to $4999, 6 gave amounts in the range between $500 and $999, 6 others gave $250 to $499, 56 are in the $100 to $249 bracket and an additional 40 people gave $100 or less. Every gift helps us reach our goal.

Our members have responded to the campaign in various ways:
*  Donating through our website’s DONATE tab or by sending a check in response to the   campaign mailing sent earlier this year. 
*  Becoming a Life member to support the campaign. 
*  Listing CGS as a beneficiary in their will or personal trust. 
*  Providing a tax-deductible donation through their IRA or 401K .

We are grateful and THANK everyone who has contributed. All those who have contributed to the campaign are helping ensure that the society will be in a position to continue helping people research their family history for years to come.  

CGS has given so much to so many – now it is time to give back. Members tell us they appreciate the lectures, field trips, workshops and casual camaraderie they find with fellow members. They appreciate the one-on-one help they receive at the library and on research trips. We should not take CGS for granted. Genealogical societies like other non-profits are vulnerable to rising expenses and tough economic times. If we want the society to be around for the long term, we need to support it.   

Graphic designed by Lois Elling

If you have not already made a donation to the campaign, right now is the perfect time to do so. You can mail in a check or visit our website to use a credit card. Go to the donate tab where you will find a check box for the Capital Campaign with a link to PayPal. Or you can use one of the tax saving mechanisms that other members have used.  

We deeply appreciate everyone who has given to the campaign but there is more to do to achieve our ambitious goal of raising $1.2 million in honor of the 120th anniversary of the society. For those who made a donation to the campaign in 2016 please consider making an additional contribution that will provide a tax deduction for 2017.

This Capital Campaign will officially end in February of 2018. Become a part of the campaign, and make a donation today.  

Thank You.

Copyright © 2017 by California Genealogical Society

What the California Genealogical Society (CGS) Can Do for You

by Chris Pattillo (Chair), Sandy Fryer & Jane Lindsey

Want to hear how CGS has helped some of your fellow members?
Lavinia “Vinnie” Schwarz, long-time research volunteer & member told us, “When I first joined CGS, I just wanted a lovely local library where I could quietly concentrate on who my ancestors are and where they came from. I used the books and computers to research the pushes and pulls that made my families migrate.  But I found so much more. I took advantage of many CGS classes – like how to do English, African-American, Jewish, German, or Japanese genealogy, or how to organize material, use old newspapers, date photographs, navigate digital archives, plat maps, and use a genealogy database.

CGS is an all-volunteer organization whose members have histories from all over the world.  They are willing to share their knowledge and expertise in running the society and doing research. We continue to learn together how to study the past, and how to write up our work in the present so the stories will be known in the future.  It's an extraordinary place.”

One member told us a story about going on the CGS research trip to the Family History Library and how it jump-started her genealogical research. Other members have said that they really appreciate the help they received breaking down a brick wall.  Still other members say they appreciate the classes that CGS has offered that enabled them to hone their genealogical research skills.  

Member Lisa Gorrell said, "The RootsMagic Special Interest Group (SIG) helped me become more efficient in using the software so that I can keep better track of my research." A more recent response is that members appreciate the help they received interpreting their DNA results. What we’re hearing is that most members feel that CGS has significantly helped them with their genealogical goals.  Help us keep up the good work.

What have you given back to CGS?
Many of us start giving back to our university a few years after we graduate and we start to appreciate what our education has done for us. We may start donating to a medical non-profit when a medical crisis impacts our family or close friends. We may support our local arts, museums or institutions that interest us.  How many of you have considered supporting CGS in a significant way?  

Will you do something for CGS?
The Capital Campaign was started last year and the goal was set to raise  $1.2 million, an amount that will strengthen the financial stability of our society for the long term. To date, we have received one large donation and many other donations ranging from $20 - $15,000 in support of our campaign. Thank You!  As of June a total of $330,000 has been donated to the campaign.   We appreciate everyone who has made a contribution, but if we are to reach our goal more members must get involved and make significant contributions.   

Here are some ideas on how to give:

• One or more members could give a very large donation. In return, CGS will consider naming the library after the donor or the person of their choice. Genealogical research and/or a publication can also be rolled into a major gift.  
• If just 2-5% (25-50) of our 1000+ members donate $10,000, then we would have $250,000-$500,000.
• We also would love members to consider becoming a Life member at $1200 as a way to support our campaign.  If 100 of our members become Life Members at $1200, then we would have an additional $120,000.  Life Member dues are donations to the Capital Campaign.  

Thank you for all of the support and financial contributions that you may have already made!  Without you, The California Genealogical Society wouldn’t be here to support genealogical research or have our library to serve as a community-gathering place.  You are what has made and continue to make this possible. Please consider donating to the Capital Campaign and know that every dollar counts and is appreciated.

Photos courtesy of Chris Pattillo

Copyright © 2017 by California Genealogical Society

Volunteers…the heart of CGS!

by Kathleen Beitiks

National Volunteer Week will be celebrated April 23-29, giving the California Genealogical Society (CGS) the opportunity to extend a big THANK YOU to members who donate their time and talents to our 119-year-old organization. Volunteers are the heart of CGS and we couldn’t do it without them. 

As the Volunteer Coordinator for the CGS, once a month I tally all of the hours that volunteers to CGS contribute to our organization and I am continually blown away by the numbers.

My tallies always come up with more than 500 hours a month, but truth be told, there are plenty more hours that don’t always get counted. In my conversations with volunteers, I always come across people who say, “Oh, I didn’t log in those calls I did from home because it only took me a few minutes,” or “l love doing this, so I never think of adding it to the sign-in sheet.”

Life Member and long-time Volunteer:  Jim Sorenson
Photo courtesy of Jane Lindsey

Why Volunteer?

Once I read an article about “why” people volunteer and it contained a list of 70 reasons. As you can imagine, the reasons ranged from “for fun!” or “to pass on what I have learned to others (and learn something myself!)” or “to meet new people” to “because someone asked me!”

When I asked a friend why she decided to volunteer for another organization, this was her reason: “My husband retired and he was driving me crazy at home all of the time.” OK, so maybe that doesn’t fall under the “altruism” category, but it just goes to show you that everyone has his or her own reason for volunteering.

How has volunteering for CGS evolved over the years?

CGS has been around since 1898 and many people do not realize that at one time it had paid staff members. So, it makes me even more impressed with our team when I realize how much work our volunteers have taken upon themselves to keep our organization thriving.

We have all different types of volunteers: those who commit once a month or once a week, those who are available for individual events, those who want to work from home and some who want to be on call.

What kinds of things do our volunteers work on?

Here is a partial list of the areas: Book Repair, Capital Campaign, Desk and Patron Services, Education Programs, Events, Finance, Investments, Library Services, Manuscript Collections, Membership, Outreach, Publications and Marketing, Research & Look-ups, Strategic Planning, Technology, and our Website.

Increasingly, we have been hearing from volunteers who want help, but would prefer to “Job Share.” For instance, the “Events Coordinator” position is a good candidate for job sharing. It’s an opportunity to help CGS coordinate events that educate our members about different aspects of genealogy and even bring in revenue so we can offer more services.

THANK YOU AGAIN to all of our volunteers at the California Genealogical Society – and to those of you who want to learn more about ways you can become a member of our team – just shoot me an email!

Kathleen Beitiks, Volunteer Coordinator
Photo courtesy of Linda Okaazaki

Copyright © 2017 by California Genealogical Society